Zerostat Guns....pretty dear. Should I get a £10 1970's one instead ?

I'd guess that the cooler , more Ray Gun looking one in 70's white would do just fine ?

Any guidance , much appreciated.

I nearly pulled a different trigger , but thought id seek the advice of you guys first....Thanks in advance.

 

Get the cool, white one, put it by your nose and pull the trigger. Smells like a thunder storm. Ozone.

 

I went cheap and bought an older used one and eventually discovered that it was worn out. So...not such a great deal. Just bought a new one about a month ago and it immediately made a difference. As Rafe said to me... "don't be so cheap! Just go buy one". So, I did and was glad I did.

 

If you purchase a vintage one with the original box, there is a little test mechanism included so that you can verify it's functionality. There is no reason to buy a new one just because it's more recent. I have an old one and it works perfectly.

 

I felt the exact same way with my older unit until I noticed that my older Zerostat didn't seem to remove the static that I had building up, compare to my friend's Zerostat.

I don't live in a particularly bad area for static, but when I bought a new one, it was much, much better. The old one still sort of showed a spark when testing with the piece on the end of it. Huge improvement with the new one - it zapped me and showed quite a good spark!

 

The modern production blue plastic ones are junk. They break easily and can't be taken apart to fix like the older ones. Mine broke after six months. Not just me, plenty of other similar experiences reported online. A search here should bring up similar feedback. Whilst it was working it did exactly as promised. Fine if it was £10 ($15), but it wasn't...

 

Awwww , i'd always fancied a raygun , & I do like to go cheap.

 

If mine had lasted anywhere close to the stated 50,000 trigger operations I’d pick up another at the £50 asking price, but it didn’t. I do miss it though.

 

Not wanting to pay the crazy prices I bought a used one online. Unfortunately the trigger broke after I had it about a month.

 

Why do these break so easily? I've had two that have lasted only 2 years each. Never have I paid $100 for something so fragile.

 

Wash the records and keep them in antistatic inner sleeves I'd say. And skip the wool mat if you have one. I have a zero stat and it works great but rarely use it after i bought the Okki Nokki and MOFI inner sleeves.

 

I do the exact same as you except that I use a Loricraft, yet I run into static sometimes and I can't isolate the reason why. It comes and goes, at any time and yet stays away for a while. Sunny days, rainy days, daytime, night time, lots of record playing, very little record playing, high humidity, low humidity.....

Anyway, it really seems to help and I hope that the new one lasts longer for me than for some others. Like most, I don't mind spending money for quality.

 

I have an ON and I use the Mofi inners as well but that doesn't help with the static in my place. Like Don, I can't isolate the reason why as there's no real pattern. Yes it is worse in the winter time even though I have a humidifier and keep the house at a good level of humidity but even in summer. I give the lp a zap before it does on the t/t and then before I put it back in the sleeve.

 

I have spent a small fortune on interconnects, power cables, Step Up Transformers, expensive boutique capacitors, vintage vacuum tubes and everything else you can imagine. Even built my own ultrasonic record cleaner! (Works great by the way!) For some reason, I have been reluctant to pop $100 for a Zerostat! I know it would be beneficial as I am sure there is some noise on my vinyl due to static charge. I will take the advice that Rafe gave to Don Parkhurst--- "Don't be so cheap! Just go buy one." Message received!

 

Before you buy these guns try Bounce dryer sheets and when you store your records on a shelf place a sheet on top or between every few albums to prevent static from building up in the first place. There are cheaper brands than bounce no doubt as well that should do the trick. And the bonus is that your records will smell lemony fresh.

 

I still have an old one that works but I have found that the Mapleshade (or similar) brush with the ground wire attached to a good ground works better.

 

Why does the Zerostat make a clicking noise? If I pull the trigger very slowly it won't make the noise.
The one I have is probably from the mid to late 80s. Still seems to work, at least a little bit.

 

I thought bounce dryer sheets needed to be heated to activate the antistatic properties?

OP: I bought a 70s white ray gun a few years ago. My kids rub baloons and popcorn packing slugs on their heads, attach them to the wall and zap with the ray gun until they fall. Good clean fun for the whole family.

 

There is also the Mapleshade Ionoclast. Reputed to make more positive ions than the Zerostat. I've had one for years and it's still working fine.

http://mapleshadestore.com/feedback_ionoclast.php

 

I have one of the original ones from the early 70's (?) with the wooden case and test bulb. My recollection from the manual - long gone now, I'm afraid - is that you should pull the trigger SLOWLY and STEADILY. If you get a pop, that means the piezo didn't flex and discharge ions, but 'snapped' into the bent position. Release the trigger and start over.

 

I have the wooden bottom and plastic cover (includes brush, stylus brush, test bulb and fluid bottles). I found some directions online but it didn't mention a pop or click only a 2 second pull. Thanks for your recollection.

 

I mighty have to try that Mapleshade Static Draining Brush. I don't have a Zerostat Gun.

Pat